Hollow Guise
by X-Mixer's Strange Library
Summary: Heathcliff is defeated Yet a system error keeps the SAO players stuck In Aincrad. What's more, the Black Swordsman, starts acting bizarre. Unbeknownst to his comrades, an unwilling ALO player has taken his place. Now she's stuck faking it until she makes it...or dies. And what with this guy's friends? Spoilers for Hollow Fragment. YURI/OC. INDEFINITE HIATUS.
1. Hero's A No Go

**I do not own Sword Art Online. That's why this story is here. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Tutorial:Hero's A No Go**

I slur a little, wobbling on my feet. Where am I right now? My head feels like I hit myself with my own great sword. Speaking of which, the weight in my hand feels lighter than usual...and why can't I see anything?

I shake my head trying to clear my field of vision and eventually succeed. Low and behold the problem is far from fixed. Or problems I should say.

Now I really don't know where I am. I'm in some sort of dungeon with people lying on the ground, looking to me like some sort of Messiah. I examine myself-and why aren't I wearing my normal gear? I'm in a gawdy black and gold coat and holding two bombastic swords. ALO doesn't let you dual wield, or at least I never figured out how. Also, I never use normal swords so...why? Where is my sword for that matter? Where's Sovereign I spent so long upgrading?

I'm less calm more stupefied as I trying to figure out what issue to address first. Sadly, yet another glomps onto my back. I drop the swords out of surprise, my usual battle instincts null. Scratch that, reflexes are totally normal.

"Idiot!" A light voice rings in my ears, definitely one I've never heard. "How could you be so reckless!?"

"I'm... sorry?" Uh…What did I do?

"You won," my question is more or less answered by what I assume is a female, if that voice those mounds against my back are indicator. "So I guess it's alright." She sounds happy. I guess one of us has to be. I'm not. That said, I guess I should start trying to sort things out. First of all-

"Who are you and what did I win?"

"That's not funny, Kirito!" She hisses as her fist whacks my shoulder.

I growl, turning on her. As expected, I can't tell her from eve. Her sandy ginger hair doesn't bring me any closer to recognizing her. Plus, I don't know what she's talking about, my arm's numb, and I'm not laughing either Missy! "Who the hell's Kirito!? My name's Calica!"

My mysterious assailant tilts her head as if I've told her I'm Beelzebub. Before she can form words, I'm rushed by some dude who'd look more natural with a bong than a katana.

"Yo, Kirito!" His smile is so genuine, it hurts. It makes me uncomfortable for some reason. "What's with the long face, you should be whooping and hollering! You just beat the final boss!"

"Final...boss?" I parrot weakly. But I wasn't anywhere near the great tree. "What are you talking about? Who the hell are you people!?"

Mr. Dude Bro looks at me the same way Ms. Violence did not too long ago.

"Klein," Ms. Violence says worriedly, "I think something's wrong with with Kirito. I think he may have hit his head or something!"

Wait, his?

I look myself over and find that I look like the real me and not my avatar. My light skin tone and mole on the back of my hand tell me so. Still, I don't think anything about me suggests I'm a boy. That's the important thing, really.

"Nah!" Klein waves his hand dismissively as he grabs my head and locks me into a noogie. "Hey, come on, man! Stop messing around; You're scaring Asuna."

"Stop!" I shove out of "Klein's" grasp angrily. My patience hasran dry in the spanned of thirty seconds. "Answer me! Who are you people and where are we!?"

The room goes dead silent and all eyes are on me, shocked and wide. I stubbornly stand my ground, arms crossed. If this some sort of weird glitch, someone at Q and A deserves to be fired! Out of a cannon!

Klein takes the initiative after a few minutes of having his mouth agap. "Kirito, we're in SAO," he rolls his shoulder stiffly. "Like we have been in for the past two years."

Wait...Sao…

Sword Art...Online…

The death game…

I faceplant like a statue without a foundation. "Can't...be..." The game that's killed 4,000 people? Ugh… ugh...I can't express the noise escaping my throat. The best way to sum it up is the sound of dying beluga whale and/or emu. Either way, it makes my lungs hurt.

"Are you... crying!?" Klein yelps.

I look up to him with blurred vision and snarl furiously, "Of course I'm crying, jackass! I'm gonna die in here!" I'm level 75 and I still eat shit to a boar every now and then in ALO!

While Dude Bro struggles to process my meltdown, "Asuna" has an epiphany, "Wait... Kirito beat Heathcliff but we're still here." Her face is the picture of fear.

"Yeah," Klein nods, hit by the rude awakening as well and hope dimming from his eyes. "Maybe we need to go to the next floor up to leave?" He suggests desperately. It's like he doesn't even believe what he's saying.

It's all the same to me, though.

"Out of my way!" I bellow as I dart past everyone and up the first flight of stairs I , last boss, SAO, Kirito-I don't give a damn! I'm not dying in this world!

Or at least if I stay alive for more than an hour, that'd sure be swell.

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 **A/N:So I started Hollow Fragment. That was a mistake... Because I so _totally_ need another project in the archive! :( **

**Anyway, I find interesting/ irritating that everyone refers to your character as Kirito no matter what. Even in just text form. But I guess that's the point of role-playing. So... let's see where this goes.**

 **Check you later.**


	2. Armed

**Level 1:Armed and Not Particularly Dangerous**

I'm out of breath by the time I reach the next floor. Instead of finding an exit, I open up the door that leads to a rolling green field.

"Ugh!" I've never been so angry to see a beautiful vista! Okay Cali, chill out! I cop a squat on the ground to reflect

First, I was flying around in ALO, then my head hurt, and them I'm pounced on by a strawberry blonde- "Kirito!"

Speak of the devil.

I ignore her and her troupe of soldiers as I hear them shuffle up behind me. I don't care who she thinks I am, I need a plan.

"Damn!" I hear Klein groan, equally gassed. "I was hoping once we got to the 76th floor, it would trigger the exit. No such luck."

Tell me about it, buddy.

"This isn't good," Asuna states the obvious. "I heard Kayaba say that he'd end the game if Kirito beat him and I don't think he's the type to lie. As evil as he is."

Kayaba? That name… That's right! Kayaba Akihiko made Sword Art Online. Wait, he was defeated in his own game and it hasn't stopped? Damn it! Unbelievable! There really is no way out. At least not one that's possible for me…

He made it clear on a public level that the only way to escape is to beat his game. That goes double now that he's gone. Argh...I don't even know how I got in here! How's that fair!? Hacks! Hacks, I say!

Or was it Johns?

"What now, Kirito?" Klein asks, his faith in me abundantly clear.

"Why are you asking me?" I shoot him down. If he's got nothing, I've got nothing. "And it's still Calica, by the way." If I'm stuck here, I'm gonna keep my own name.

He ignores that last part anyway. "What do you mean 'Why am I asking you?'!?" He snaps, despite his chill demeanor. "You lead us this far! Isn't this the part where you say something like 'We're gonna beat this game!' Or something like that! Come on man, snap out of it!"

His overzealousness just makes me groan. If he already had that in mind, why did he ask me? As if to add to my bad time, Asuna kneels down beside me and grabs my face.

My hands are about to swat hers away buy her golden eyes stare into mine and I freak out a little at how upset she looks. "Kirito, what's wrong with you? Don't you remember us? Remember me?"

I'm about tell her no, when I'm assaulted by visions of this girl. She's cuddling up to some boy with dark hair. They're laughing, crying, even fighting a little. They've saved each other's lives. They...have a child? They're a family? The boy is Kirito, Asuna's husband.

Kirito who she thinks is me.

Oh.

No.

"Ugh…" Bye!

I leave them behind as I speed away, strangely feeling guilty. It honestly can't be helped. I don't have any idea what this mix up is all about, so I can't exactly well explain myself. Nor could I be a good husband. I'm mature for my age but I'm still just 15. And I don't think I'm gay? Why the hell am I getting this guy's memories for that matter? I don't know the dude!

Maybe I should ask a question with a more immediate answer. Like where the hell am I going? Or why didn't I think this through. Well, I'm cheesing it now. Not that that's anything new for me.

You want a boss killed with projectiles over the course of two hours? I'm your girl. My navigation skills are kind of up for debate…

Still, because God is Merciful, I somehow make it to a town without triggering a single encounter.

Only then does it occur to me that I should probably try to open my menu. Sitting down at a cookie cutter Cafe, I'm more than happy to find that the UI is basically the same as ALO. Now let's see.

The map says I'm in Arc Sophia. I probably should have guessed that I had a map in the first place but live and learn, right?

 **Character Information**

 **Kirito**

 **Male**

 **Lv. 100**

Good for you buddy. Good for me too.

Shit! I take that back.

His 2 handed sword skills basically don't exist. It's all one-handed sword skills or skills that require dual wielding. Seriously, where did he get that? MMO's usual don't let you do that.

Though this is a death game we're talking about. Akihiko probably thought it be funny to throw in a few game breaking wrenches into the mix.

Alright, what are my weapon choices?

 **El_cid tor (Corrupted)**

 **Dar Rep_lsor (Corrupted)**

These weapons stats must have taken massive hits but they're not unusable. I wonder if I can afford an upgra-

Whoa~!

 **2,708,101 Col**

I could definitely get a new greatsword with that! Some better clothes. Wouldn't hurt either. I get to forget my current wows long enough to have a doughnut or 7. Afterwords, I attempt to haggle with the NPC armor vendor...which is pointless seeing they have set parameters but I get a kick out of it.

Let's see…

Being as simple as I am, I settle on what's basically a pauldron with an intricate white robe and black sleeve attached. Light pants and some sturdy boots never hurt. Last but not least, a dark beret for good measure. At least if I die, no one can say I was outta style.

Before I go weapon shopping, an inkling tells me to look over my weapon skills again. Ah, hell. The great sword skills are tied to the one-handed skill set. Uh, guess that settles that. I buy some new clothes but I end up finding a decent sword in my inventory. Strange, I don't think it was there just a second ago.

 **Mad Tyrant…**

I'm suddenly assaulted by images of a tall, grey-haired knight. "Heathcliff…" I utter his name without understanding why or how I know it. Or how I know that Kirito killed this man. I'd rather not think on the last bit too much. It's not really my business. In any case, Heathcliff was probably strong; his blade could be reliable. And it appears that I have his Buckler, too.

Alright, a **Mad Tyrant** and shield will have to do the trick for now. After one last round of inventory management, I set out to walk around town to see what I can hear. I don't get very far before bumping into a very large, dark skinned individual. His arms are crossed and he looks tired (and irritated).

"Uh…" What now? "Something I can help you with?"

"You know Kirito," he starts in a baritone, "If you wanted new equipment you could have done it without scaring everybody." His big hands grab my shoulders and start pushing me in a direction. "The assault team's already settled in town thanks to Asuna."

Oh yeah. I ran away from some jerks didn't I? Welp. There are two options here. One:Go with the flow and try to slip away later. Number two is fighting giant black man.

Option one is looking great!


	3. Compromises

**A/N: I do not own Sword Art Online. But Plz Enjoy anyway.**

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 **Level 2: Compromises**

"Ow! You don't have to keep shoving!" I whine as we go down the street of Arc Sophia.

"Just tryin' to make sure you get there," the dark-skinned man behind me says with clear mistrust and slight annoyance. "I don't know what's going on with you, but I hope you snap out of it.

You and me both, buddy.

Even though I don't know him from jack, I can't help but think that the guy's name is Agil…Why do I know that again? I'm not this "Kirito", so why do I have some of his memories? I should probably try to figure that out sooner than later. When I don't have to face down strangers who don't know I'm unwillingly playing identity theft, that is. As I'm guided through town, all kinds of people shout at me with familiarity.

"Kirito!"

"Kirito-san!"

"You're the man, Kirito!"

"We believe in you!"

"Keep fighting the good fight!"

Those would be the nicest things anyone's ever said to me if they directed at _me_. But if they think I'm their savior, who am I to argue? I don't say anything, but kindly wave back and smile. I'll surely regret it later, though. Not that there's anything I can really do about this mix-up yet. Ugh…I'm really tired of talking about this to myself already. I'm tired. Period.

"'The hell you doing!?" Agil cries as I go limp against him.

"Carry me," I moan lazily. "I'm cramping!" I lie with a spoiled whimper. A bit of naughtiness won't kill anybody. The shock is still fresh for me…sorta. "I'm a valuable asset; you have to carry me!" That makes sense, right?

"I'm not doing that!"

"But I'm dizzy, though."

"No, you're not!"

"My legs are broken!"

"That's not possible in this game!"

"It's cold out…" Okay, now I'm just doing this for shits and giggles.

"Are you serious…?" Agil understandably chooses to let me hit the ground at this point.

"What if I paid you?" I pitch, desperate of just a moment of laziness

He crossed his arms and raised a single brow, "Do you have 25 million col?"

Ugh, nope. But- "…How much for you to drag me there?"

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 **10 Mins. Later…**

 **Klein POV**

Virtual liquor doesn't get you drunk but it can loosen you up.

I really wish I could say I was surprised, but I'm not. Honestly, I've begun to have trouble remembering what life outside this game is like. Now that we're still stuck here, I'll have to wait even longer to remember. This should be painful, but it's almost a relief to not have to leave yet. SAO is life; I think I've subconsciously accepted it like everyone else. I still hope we'll get out one day and we probably will. Yet, I can't help but think the real world maybe more trouble at this point, and I know I'm not the only one thinking that. Still, I don't really know if it matters. As long as I have friends, I don't know how much I care about getting back to my old life. On the flip-side, if my friends want to get back to real life, I'll follow them there too. I guess people were right about me being a slacker with zero aspirations…and I'm okay with that. I'll just have to make do with having strong bonds with people instead of a million dollars and no one to appreciate with.

Speaking of friends, Kirito went all wild style after he beat Heathcliff. Now that caught me off guard. It isn't the most shocking thing in the world, though. The fact that we're still stuck here might have hit him harder than anybody. He's always been the spear head of things in this game, the whole of us resting on his shoulders. That would get to anyone, no matter how cool they seem on the surface. It's not crazy to think he snapped from the burden. I can't blame him in the slightest. Instead, I'll just have to help him by giving it my all in the coming days and take some of the stress off.

I hope Agil gets him back here soon because I'm running out of liquor and, by extension, good vibes. The doors of the bar swing open as is if on cue.

"Hey, Asuna," I call, "Agil's back and he found Kirit…What the hell?" Agil has the Black Swordsman with him but not how I'd expect. "Why are you dragging him?" I can see he's perfectly conscious on the ground even if he has a weird Cheshire grin.

"'Cuz he gave me money," Agil shrugs without a second thought as he drops Kirito's ankle. He'd been using it like a pull-rope up to this point, I'd assume.

Kirito bounces to his feet with a satisfied smirk, stretching wildly. "Ah," he sighs, "I think that might have actually helped my back!" Something about his smile is off. I can't put my finger on it, but it seems kind of soft and feminine. Not only that, but his stance looks more loose than normal. Then again, I'm not used to seeing him go mental either.

Asuna makes her way down stairs to her husband and immediately hug-tackles him. He awkwardly reciprocates with a disgruntled look on his face. "You idiot, why did you run off!?" A resounding smack echoes through the bar.

"Hey…honey…" Kirito says slowly, his face purely disgruntled.

My head tilts automatically. The guy's usually just as gooey as she is with her affection. Also, "Honey"? Maybe something weird did happen to him, and it's not just shock. He tries to chuckle good-naturedly, but it comes out harsh and forced. I share a look with Agil who just shrugs.

"You really scared us, you know!" His wife fumes at him, her eyes narrowed. "If you're fooling around, I prefer you cut it out! We've still got 25 floors left." Her expression turns somber. "You know you can always talk to me, right? When you get scared?" He stiffens as she puts her hand on his arm. "I know you're tough, but please don't do what you did with Heathcliff and try to take it all on yourself. Remember: we're partners in all things." She briefly presses her lips to his and Kirito's eyes go white. After a second, Asuna shrieks as he falls to the ground.

"Kirito!" I call in a panic, not ready for more pandemonium.

Agil quickly leans down to him and checks his pulse while our Lightning-Flash Knight kneels on the Black Swordsman's other side, listening for his heartbeat.

The dark-skinned merchant looks to me with a deadpanned face after a minute or so.

"He fainted."

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 **Next Time: I finally give you an idea of what Calica (My reluctant impostor of a SAO OC) looks like, even! Preferably I will do so in the next week. Until then** **READ and REVIEW.** **Also, thank you for any and all support. It's always a fantastic motivator!**

 **See y'all later and happy holidays!**


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